It depends on each case. Some of the cap logos are companies that are not golf companies. For example Ernie Els and SAP.

The Titleist hats could mean they use the golf balls or the clubs or both.

Typically speaking if they have a company logo and are not in the process of switching or nearing a contract end they will have some affiliation with the company.

All equipment contracts are different. Some require 12 clubs (everything but driver and putter), some require irons only, some wedges, some driver only. It really depends on the company, the level of player, and what each requirement of the contract is.

Ping for example requires their contracted players to play a certain number of ping clubs and one must be the putter.

Most of the big name guys have some type of equipment requirement. But there are examples of guys on staff with one company and having a bag full of other gear. Those happen from time to time and it could be a transition thing, could be at the end of their contract and may have been "released" from the terms in order to get acclimated to the new gear, or it could be something in the contract stating they can at any time play whatever it is they want.

One would think if they are touting some gear that they would play at least some of it. Been the source of many a debate. Where do you draw the line?

What do tour players mean when they say to the press "you just got to play patient out there" usually on Saturdays or "I was able to stay patient throughout the round" usually they say this after a good round.

My interpretation of those guys saying "play patient" is they are trying not to get frustrated during the round. After a good round you really feel like you should hit it close, or make everything. It is like getting in the groove. There is a propensity to think you should shoot super low again the next day and more often than not, you don't.

So what I think they mean (I cannot speak for anyone) is that they are staying within their game and themselves. Trying not to get too excited or down. They must also adapt to the style of course or tournament. It may require more aggressive play or more defensive styles.

When speaking about scoring fest type events. They again need to be patient but in a different way. Those courses usually yield a bunch of birdies and they need to be patient in the sense that they don't think they should birdie 12 of the holes and be concerned if they start out with 6 pars or something like that.

When Majors roll around, it is a test of their physical skills with the club as much as the mental aspect of the game. Part of that is patience. When speaking about setups like The Open and The US Open, these guys need to play a little more defensive than they are used to. I think that is what they mean when they say being patient. More like laying back off the tee for safety or shooting away from a pin due to bad risk/reward scenarios. Or even chipping out to the fairway as it is the safer, less penal play. The US Open is a 72 hole grind and if you lack patience, even for a second, it could lead to a big number and cost you the tournament.

These guys and gals are the best golfers on the planet. They are used to firing at sticks and trying to shoot super low scores. So when events like the US Open roll around it is a super test of their patience over 4 days.

for me, playing patient generally means patiently waiting for the flight in front to clear and not becoming too worked up over my duffs and pushslices

bro, when u play with me, your definition for playing patient would be different....

it would become patiently wait for me to look for my ball, patiently wait for me to do many practise swing before hitting the ball and then aiya...duff it...and patiently wait for me to take 2 or more stroke to cover the same distance you have make.....haha !!!!